Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
Mark Linnehan, 26, of West Roxbury, was sentenced on Apr. 7 in federal court in Boston to 51 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Linnehan's sentencing is part of a larger investigation into the H-Block gang, a group described as one of the most feared and influential city-wide gangs in Boston. The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address drug trafficking and violence associated with street gangs.
According to court documents, Linnehan was involved from 2022 through 2023 as a supplier of fentanyl and cocaine within the conspiracy. He also engaged in various drug deals with an undercover officer. Over the course of the multi-year investigation that began in 2021, authorities seized more than 500 grams of cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, over 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper, additional drugs, and four firearms. Twelve incidents of gunfire were attributed by law enforcement to tensions involving H Block associates during this period.
Linnehan was among ten H-Block members and associates charged following an August 2024 indictment. Six were arrested on charges related to drug dealing; four others were already held in state custody at the time. The investigation responded directly to an increase in gang-related shootings and violence linked with H Block activities.
The H Block Street Gang originated as the Humboldt Raiders during the 1980s before re-emerging under its current name in the early 2000s. Members have previously been involved in violent confrontations with police officers.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced Linnehan's sentencing alongside officials from several federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Justice Office of Inspector General (DOJ OIG), Massachusetts State Police, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts Department of Corrections as well as local police departments from Braintree, Quincy, Randolph and Watertown.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley from the Organized Crime & Gang Unit along with Jeremy Franker from DOJ’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program which aims to dismantle high-level criminal organizations through coordinated efforts across multiple agencies.
